Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM October 2017 | Page 21

Heroes of Hurricane Harvey: As the Storm Pummeled Houston, Memorial Hermann Employees & Physicians Braved the Worst to Care for Patients By: Jade A. Waddy Senior Media Relations Representative Memorial Hermann Health System [email protected] As Tropical Storm Harvey unleashed unprecedented flooding across the Greater Houston area, thousands of  Memorial Hermann Health System employees and affiliated physicians bid their own families farewell and braved the worst natural disaster in Houston’s history to continue delivering compassionate and healing care to patients in need.    Some waded through raging floodwaters or hitched rides on kayaks and canoes to get to their hospitals in the middle of the storm. Others coordinated lifesaving rescues of their neighbors. All worked long hours – going above and beyond their regular duties to help their patients – even as some of their own homes were being flooded with water and their families were forced to evacuate. Here are a few of the inspiring stories from Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital.    Chef Steven Cantu at Memorial Hermann Southeast kayaked in with another chef to prepare food for staff and patients. “When the storm hit, it was like the skies fell open. I spoke to my wife and told her I needed to go to the hospital.  Knowing I had a kayak, I knew that was my best method to get there.  I grabbed my stuff and wrapped it in Saran Wrap, in case it fell into the water.  I had no clue what to expect.  I drove down I-45 and at the Scarsdale exit, I had to leave my truck on the highway.  I didn’t care.  I called my Soux Chef, Lorenzo, who lived in that area and told him I was picking him up and we were going to kayak in.  I unloaded the kayak from the truck, loaded it over the side rail, climbed over and hit the water (near the Shell station by the feeder).  We kayaked and walked on the path to the hospital, on Dixie Farm Rd. and Beamer.  When we arrived, we realized the staff had cooked some breakfast but it was minimal.  My primary concern was feeding the patients.  I immediately began to organize the staff, cooked patient food, and sprang into action.  Lorenzo didn’t hesitate.  We were there from Sunday through Wednesday night.  When I was checking out on Wednesday, my wife arrived to begin her relief shift as a nurse.  Thankfully, during the whole experience, God knew my heart and watched over me and my family.  In fact, my truck was still there on I-45 after the storm!  I was able to drive it home.”     Intensive Care Unit Nurse Josh Mascorro traveled to Memorial Hermann Southeast on Sunday afternoon. He was unable to reach campus by car due to high water levels surrounding the hospital. Thanks to some quick thinking, he decided to walk through more than 7 miles of water while carrying his suitcase, to get to the hospital. As soon as he arrived he took over as charge nurse for the ICU to relieve some of this co-workers. Once his shift was over, he got a list of colleagues that had damage to their homes and went out to begin helping those employees clean up their homes, after Harvey’s wrath on the city. Sylvia Gallegos, Patient Flow Coordinator at Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital, worked with local resources to coordinate the big military rescue trucks to pick up leaders and nurses to bring to Southeast hospital. In addition, these efforts led to the transport of 96 evacuees to local shelters.  Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital employees donate to local students affected by Harvey Employees of the Respiratory Therapy Department at Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital recently sponsored Burnett Elementary School with a school supply drive. The group was able to donate two boxes of school supplies and raised $400. Due to Hurricane Harvey, the delivery was delayed and employees decided to reconnect with the campus in order to use the dollar donations towards students affected by the storm. Thanks to the employees at Memorial Hermann Southeast they were able to provide 40 students with $10 Kroger gift cards. Pictured: Respiratory Care Practitioners Maura Talley, Serena Ocanas, & Elsa Lopez; sitting left to right – Respiratory Care Practitioners Belinda Guerra and Katherine Anderson MOMENTUM / October 2017 20